'Scandal' Fans Disappointed & Confused at How Series Finale Was Handled

"Scandal" went "Over a Cliff" with its April 19 series finale, and Gladiators still have so many questions. For one, did Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) become president or not?

SPOILER ALERT

While some fans were pleased with the Season 7 finale, or at least certain scenes (Papa Pope!), there were many frustrations with the hour episode. The fact that it was only one hour was one complaint. The fact that David Rosen died and Cyrus did not was another.

David ultimately died for nothing. It was especially upsetting to see David make the stupid decision to trust Cyrus. Of course Cyrus was going to poison his drink! Jake went to jail, but Olivia and team were spared. Olivia and Fitz had a little end scene meeting, but it wasn't shown if they ended up together or not. The final scene with the portrait also confused fans -- was that a flash-forward of Olivia as president or what?

"So post-B613, did Olivia wind up with her fairy tale ending with Fitz and a lifetime of making jam in Vermont? The end of the series featured Olivia's portrait in the National Portrait Gallery — leaving viewers to decide for themselves if Olivia would wind up becoming president or was rewarded for her role in cleaning up D.C.'s corruption and becoming the ultimate fixer. (A nice touch: Rhimes' daughter, Harper, was the young girl left looking up at the portrait, which said "We the People" along its side.)

As Rhimes warned, the finale also left that and a few other storylines open for viewers to interpret on their own as Scandal jumped forward following the conclusion of the B613 trial. Rhimes and producers have no immediate plans of discussing how the series ultimately ended and intentionally wanted to leave the audience to determine the show's ultimate takeaway about politics in D.C."

Fan reactions were all over the map, but there was a general sense of the finale being anticlimactic:

I have to say guys, I'm disappointed. The entire hour felt rushed. True Gladiators deserved two hours and more content. #ScandalFinale

the first black female lead on a network television ending her run by walking by the first national museum dedicated to the contributions of african-americans ????????????????????????‍♀️ #scandal#scandalfinale

This has been my show since Day 1. Changed the game on so many frontiers, from introducing the world to a leading lady such as an Olivia Pope to episodes like The Lawnchair; or unforgettable speeches like "You. Are. A. Boy...". They did it all. It's handled. #ScandalFinale